Plain Dealer fileProposed state legislation that could allow phone companies to get out of the landline business has drawn opposition from consumer groups.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Customers in some parts of Ohio might be unable to get basic landline phone service under a bill moving through the state legislature, a group of consumer advocates warned on Monday.

AARP Ohio, the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel and others strongly oppose the bill because they said it threatens a vital line of communication for senior citizens and the needy.

“Some customers would likely lose their phone service,” said Michael Smalz, a senior attorney with the Ohio Poverty Law Center. “They would lose the service they could afford, the cheapest available service and the only service they think they need.”

Telephone companies, however, say the bill will allow them to invest in new, in-demand technologies that will ensure Ohio remains competitive within the industry.

In other words, telephone companies say they do not want to continue sinking money into landline services that many consumers no longer want.

The proposed legislation would allow phone companies to withdraw basic landline services if there are other companies operating somewhere in a service area. But the competitors don’t have to be operating throughout the service area. So options could be limited if a company withdraws its basic landline service.

A landline would likely remain available as long as it is bundled with other services as part of a more expensive package, Smalz said.

A coalition of advocacy groups held a news conference Monday in Columbus to oppose the legislation, known as Senate Bill 271. The bill passed the Senate last month and is in the House of Representatives.

“It is not hyperbole to argue that a devastating consequence of the deregulation of basic local exchange phone service will be higher unaffordable rates that will force those living on fixed incomes to sacrifice other necessities like food, medicine, heat and/or electricity,” Jane Taylor, state director for AARP Ohio wrote last week in a letter to the chairman of the House Public Utilities Committee.

But phone companies say regulations need to be updated to reflect the rapidly evolving telecommunications industry, in which many customers gravitate toward the latest technology.

“Updating Ohio’s telecom regulatory environment will provide even more voice, video, and data access service choices for Ohio consumers through increased competition and will protect continued investment in the Ohio telecommunications network,” Ohio Telecom Association president Charles Moses told a Senate committee earlier this year.

Consumer advocates estimate that tens of thousands of landline customers statewide could lose their bare-bones service if the bill becomes law. A handful of companies, such as AT&T, would be allowed to begin withdrawing basic landline service as early as next year.

House Speaker William G. Batchelder, a Republican from Medina, has encouraged interested parties to continue working together on the bill, a spokesman for Batchelder said on Wednesday.

Smalz, of the Ohio Poverty Law Center, said halting the legislation will be difficult because the telecommunications industry is quite influential. The consumer groups that oppose the bill said 35 lobbyists have been hired to help pass the bill.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.